Seed list 2013 – my year of experimental growing

In my last blog post I wrote about the seedlings that I’ve got growing/germinating/thinking about (hopefully) germinating in January. I’ve also been right through my seed collection and grouped everything into zip lock bags, an idea I saw someone post on twitter – last year I had a disaster with an automatic watering system so waterproofing is required! Instead of ordering the seeds by type, I’ve ordered them by month in the hope that I’ll be a bit more organised and I won’t forget to sow things, like the cucumbers I forgot last year.

I’ve totally discovered that I have far too many though! Some seeds simply won’t get sown, so I’ll prioritise new unopened packets and the seeds that I’ve gathered myself over any open ones that I’ve carried over, as they could be a bit dodgy.

I’ve been banging on about these and would you believe it, I don’t have any yet!

The other things I grow are Rocket potatoes and Turbo & Red onions from sets. I usually get the onions from Wilkinsons and they’ve never let me down. My mum traditionally buys me the Rockets from their local market and starts chitting them for me. I think this tradition is rather cute so I’ll carry on this year. I need to confirm where she got last year’s from though because they were poor. However, that could have been due to the weather.

I also grow fruit but I don’t think I’ll be adding to what I already have. You can guarantee that every time I visit a garden centre I will come out with something though and I’ll be given lots of plants and vegetables. Adam will no doubt want to sow a load of flowers too. Good job I love gardening!

I’m on holiday in Andorra next week and if I get any spare time I’ll be thinking about my crop rotation and I’ll share some plans at a later date. Have I missed anything from my list?! What have you got planned for 2013? Do you have any tips you can share?

Last year my seeds got in such a jumble and then the automatic watering accident wiped a load of them out! I wanted some way of organising them by month and was looking for a nice drawer or box where I could sort them with cards per month, then I saw the ziplock bags on twitter and bingo! The March and April bags are really stuffed full!

Grouping by month is such a good idea so many of the packets of seeds I buy get lost in the vast quantity I seem to have and never get planted, think I might have to poach this idea! My seed wish list mostly matches with yours, I think I might also try different basils :)

Poach away Anna! I see you have a Mozzy Mr?! My husband is called Adam but his nickname (based on his surname) is Moss! I’ve met a few gardening Annas now through blogging but never one who also has a Mozzy Moss! Thanks so much for dropping by :) !!

That’s a good idea with the bags. I also sort my seeds in to months to be sown, but I keep them in a box separated by dividers for each month. I think I’ve just about got everything I need now for this year, but I still need to sort them in to months. Have a lovely holiday.

What a crop you’re going to have, Anna. You mentioned rocket potatoes, but what about fresh Rocket, the herb?Lovely peppery flavour! Enjoy Andorra – maybe some nice garden pictures or are you taking to the slopes?

Hello! I shall be hitting the slopes but you can guarantee I’ll also be snooping around for some nice gardens or flowers under all the snow! Yes, I love rocket and have a host of herbs and salads that I grow. I grow my rocket at the house in a pot, it can spread like mad can’t it, so I don’t grow it in my raised beds and I keep it handy for the kitchen. Thanks so much for dropping by :)

It’s a full size plot but I can’t remember the exact measurements, I’m planning on doing some proper measuring up, so I’ll let you know. It’s not big enough, that’s for sure but when I first got it, it seemed huge. I will definitely be dreaming of spring :) Thanks so much for your comment!

The bees are going to LOVE your garden… and what a feast you’ll have! I sorted my seeds out according to “Leaf, Flower, Root or Fruit” last year as I was trying lunar planting and life was obviously not difficult enough! Ha, ha!
Have a great holiday Anna x

Good idea for the organisation. I tend to group the packets with a rubber band that get sown together such as spring lettuce, squash, tomatoes, summer lettuce, winter lettuce.
We are currently enjoying Yellow Globe turnips. They go so nicely with carrots.

I love the idea of grouping your seeds together by month in those bags. Last year I went through my seed box and found I had loads of seeds that I just didn’t fancy growing so I donated them to my local community garden for them to use. Seeds are expensive and the garden doesn’t have much money so I hope they helped them. Have a great time in Andorra. I look forward to reading about it when you get back. WW

Hello Wellywoman! Thanks for your comment. I am now back and thinking about my next post! Great idea about donating seeds. They are expensive indeed and I think that’s a really good idea to give them away. Having far too many to grow ourselves is very easily done! Thanks so much for sharing :)

Hello Patricia! It’s taken me about 10 years to get to month by month and I have no idea if it will really make me any more organised! I guess it’s whatever works and if all else fails, experiment! Thanks so much for dropping by :)